Brief case



M. H. AND L. STEIN.

BRIEF CASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1921.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

3 SFEETS-$HEEI I I I I l I I l l l l l I I I I I I I I l I I I I I l l I I l l I I I I I I l J nae/225761 M. H. AND L. STEIN.

BRIEF CASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1921.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

9 5 mm L w HIIH llllhhll u |mmmL W %M M. H. AND L. STEIN.

BRIEF CASE.

APPLICATION man JULY 29,1921.

Patented Dec. 5, 192% o vnnllaqvl..

lathe 65566 v reo STAT-Es PATIEfirfoFFICe.

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. Application filed m sa 1921. serial no. 38,4 7.

To all whom it may corwem: p

Be it known that we, MroHAnn H. STEIN and Lao STEIN, citizens of the Umted States,

residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Br ef Cases, of which the following is a description. I

Our invention relates to improvements in brief cases, such as are used by attorneys,

salesmen and the like, and has among its.

objects the production of a brief case which is compact, durable, neat and attractlve in appearance and satisfactory for use wherever found applicable.

-Another object of our lIlVQIItIOII 1s the production of a brief case of the k nd described which may be adjusted in its bellows extension and which may be locked in said adjusted position.

Another object of our invention 1s to provide a carrying handle for a briefcase which will automatically center itself for all loads so that when the bag is distended it will not ban lopsided.

any other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described Wlll. be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosures herein given.

To this end our invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described,

with the extending flap turned back and a' i portion thereof broken away;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

our device;

Fi 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a'seotion taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2; l

Fig. 7 is a section taken substantially on g the line 7--7 of Fig. 2;

Fi 8 is a section taken the l1ne'8,-8 of 9.

Fig. 9 is a section taken substantially on the line 9-9; of 'Fig. 2; Y

substantially on tion.

In the drawings, wherein we have illustrated the preferred embodiment of our invention, 1 and 2 indicate the front and rear' sides or walls of the brief case, the rear wall 2 having an extending flap 3 adapted to -"Fi .10 is asection taken substantially on 7 representing a modification be folded over the front flap so as to close thetop opening between the walls. Pockets or compartments 4: are formed between the front and rear walls 1 and 2, there bein partitions 5 to define the limits of sai pockets. A bottom gusset 6 and end or side gussets 6' are secured between said front and rear walls at the edges of said partitions 5, by st1tching8 or other equivalent means, said gussets being looped over the edges of the partitions 5, as shown at 7 in Fi s. 6 and 7 so as to reinforce the same. edges of the gussets .6 are turned over inwardly of the case, as at 6", soas to reinforce the upper edges of the compartments and to present a. neat,'finished edge.

One or more straps 9, in the present instance there being two, are provided for .the purposeof adjustably limiting the expansion of the case and compartments and to provide adjustable fastening means for the to correspond with the particular expansion of the bellows. Each strap 9 has an end 10 secured to the inner surface of the rear wall 2 by rivets 11, or other equivalent fastening means, said strap passin between the gusset and the rear wall at t e bottom edges thereof through an opening 12 under a the case and upwardly through the gusset Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom view of.

and the front wall across the bottom of the bellows through an opening 13, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The end 21 of the strap 9 is extended outwardly through one of a pair of elongated openings 17 adjacent the upper 105 edge of the front wall 1, and thence inwardly he upper 16 is suitably secured to the front wall 1 for retaining said reinforcing strip in place.

The free end of the strap 21 carries a member 20 thereon adapted to extend through any one of a series of spaced holes 19 provided in the front wall-of the case and is adapted to adjustably engage and cooperate with looking member 22 provided on the flap 8 of the casing. The front wall and flap of the case have auxiliary cooperating fastening means 23, 24:, intermediate the fastening means 22-22, said fastening means 23, 24, being also adjustable to latch in a number of different positions to correspond with the adjustable fastening between the parts 20 and 22.

As shown particularly in Fig. 3, the extension of the bellows of the brief case may be adjusted and limited by positioning the fastening member 20 of the strap 9 in either of the holes 19, whereat it may be engaged by the cooperating fastening member 22.

lips 18, or any other equivalent means for the purpose, may be used at the edges of the front wall 1, so as to secure them to the gussets and, if desired, similar clips 14 may be, positioned on the opposite sides of the strap opening 13 so as to secure the gusset and front wall together and reinforce and prevent tearing of said parts thereat.

A carrying handle 26 is arranged at the top edge of the rear wall and flap, said handle being adjustable transversely thereof so that when the bag is distended it will not hang lopsided. As shown the handle 26 is pivoted to brackets 27, slidable in transverseslots 28 in the flap, there being a reinforcing bar 29 on the under surface of said flap and movable with the handle so thatwthe handlewill not pull out of said slots 28.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 12, the strap 10 has one end secured to the upper edge of the rear wall 2 and thence extends through the bag at 12 at its, lower end between the rear wall 2 and the gusset 6 and thence extends upwardly exteriorly of the front wall land through the slots 30, whereat it is inserted inwardly of the bag and is slidable between the reinforcing strip 15 and the retaining strip 16, said straphaving fastening means 20 near its end so as to be engageable with the cooperating fasteners 22 on the flap 3.

In the modification shown in Fig. 13, the strap 10 extends from the top edge of the front wall of the case on the inner side thereof downwardly through the gusset and front wall as'at 13 and thence upwardly through the gusset and rear wall as at 12 on the interior of the case, the free end 32 of said strap being looped over the top of the compartments and downwardl in registry with the front portion 31 o the strap, the free end 32 of said strap having fastening means adapted to cooperate extension of the bellows with the fastening means carried by the flap. In this modification it is necessary that the strap portion fixed to the front wall be apertured as at 19, so as to register with the apertures 19 in the front wall of the case, said apertures being adapted to receive the fastening means carried by the free end 32 of the strap.

In the modification shown in Fig. 13 the strap as well as the cover retains the contents in the case and completely encircles said contents so that there is but slight strain on the case itself. In all the forms, it is obvious that the may be adjustably limited by positioning the fastening means 20 of the strap in any desired one of the holes 19 through the front wall of the bag, and that the case is thereby locked by engagement with the flap and thus avoids the use of unsightly buckles, with the straps projecting or overhanging therebeyond.

Having thus described our invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modification may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of our invention; hence we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1; In a device of the kind described and in combination, a carrying case havin extension bellows thereon, a cover flap tIxerefor, and locking means interiorly of said case and projecting therethrough so as to be engageablewith said cover flap and adjustably limiting the expansion of said bellows.

2. In a device of the kind described and in combination, a brief case having extension bellows arranged between its front and rear walls, and strap members having locking means engageable in one of said walls for limiting the extension of said bellows and cooperating with said flap to adjustably secure it in place over the front wall.

3. In a brief case, a front and a rear wall, extension bellows therebetween, a cover flap adapted to extend downwardly over a portion of the front wall and having fastenin means thereon, a strap secured to. sai of the strap having fastening means thereon adapted to selectively extend through either of a series of openings in the front wall of said case so as to engage said fastening means on the flap and adjustably limit the bellows extension.

4. In a device of, the kind described and in combination, a brief case comprising front and rear walls with an extension bellows therebetween, a flap carried by said rear wall, and the free endrear wall adapted to extend over a portion of said front wall, said front wall having a series of spaced openings therethrough, a strap secured on the inside of saidcase and extending outwardly therethrough exteriorly of said bellows from between said rear wall and bellows and thence extending inwardly through the case, the free end of said strap having fastening means thereon adapted to be selectively inserted so as to extend through either of said openings in the front wall so as to be operatively engaged by the fastening means carried by said flap, whereby the efitension of said bellows may be adjustably limited.

5. In a device of the kind described and in combination, a brief case comprising front and rear walls, gusset means therebetween at the bottom and sides thereof, said front wall having a series of spaced apertures therethrough and a pair of spaced elongated slots adjacent its upper edge, straps each having one end secured to said case and its other end threaded through said elongated slots, fastening means at the free end of said straps and insertable through either of said apertures, means carried on said flaps for operatively engaging said fastening means whereby the extenslon of said bellows may be adjustably limited and reinforcing stiffening means secured to said front Wall and extend.- ing from side to side thereof adjacent said slots. v

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing. witnesses MICHAEL H. STEIN.

LEO STEIN. Witnesses ROY W. HILL, RUTH M. EPHRAIM. 

